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Work starts on cleaner water for city suburbs
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WORK began yesterday on a project that will supply cleaner tap water to some 6.5 million residents in Shanghai’s suburban districts and serve as a main backup source for downtown residents.
The Huangpu River Upstream Water Source Project will include a new Jinze reservoir along the Taipu River in Qingpu District and two major pipelines connecting with the city’s main Qingcaosha Reservoir.
The project, costing 7.6 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) is due for completion by the end of next year.
It will supply residents in Jinshan, Fengxian, Songjiang, Minhang and Qingpu districts, said Gu Jinshan, director of the Shanghai Water Authority.
“The Taipu River is the cleanest branch of three major upstream rivers and has fewer risks of being polluted than the Huangpu,” Gu said.
Currently, suburban areas get their tap water directly from the middle Huangpu River, but it is poor quality and at high risk from pollution, said Fan Renyi, the project’s general manager.
Gu said accidents on the river were frequent with ships bumping into each other and chemical material and fertilizer polluting the water as a result.
The new reservoir, covering 2.7 square kilometers, will be able to shut its two intakes while maintaining supplies for two days in the case of any shipping accident. In addition, the link with the Qingcaosha reservoir can supply water to the Jinze reservoir for another day.
Gu said it usually took two days at most to restore water quality after a shipping accident.
Safe water downtown
If there was a danger of the water quality at the Qingcaosha reservoir being affected, the Jinze reservoir can supply safe water to the city’s downtown areas.
After the project is completed, the Jinze reservoir will become one of the four major water sources in addition to the Qingcaosha, Dongfeng Xisha and Chenghang reservoirs and the only source on the Huangpu.
By 2015, 70 percent of the city’s drinking water will be provided by the Qingcaosha, Dongfeng Xisha and Chenghang reservoirs, while the Jinze reservoir will supply the rest.
Previously, the Huangpu River was the only water source for Shanghai residents.
Shanghai’s tap water quality is better than in most other Chinese provinces, but is still below international standards.
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